Swinging gate.



No. 65I,686. Patented June I2, I900. w. R. WHITE.

-SWING|NG GATE.

(Application filed Feb. 13. 1900.)

(No Model.)

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f NITED STATES? PATENT .GFFICIE.

WILLIAM RICHARD WHITE, OF BLOOMINGTON, ILLINOIS.

- .f. SWINGING GATE.

SPECIIiIGATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 651,686, dated June 12, 1900..

' Application filed rebimy' 13,1000. Serial No. 5,077. on model) and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Swinging Gates,of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to swinging gates adapted to be operated by levers pivoted to move in a vertical plane, and particularly to devices for preventing lateralplay of such levers when operated to move the gate.

The invention will be fully described in the following specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, inwhich Figure 1 is a perspective view of a swinging gate embodying my present invention. Fig. 2 is a bottom plan view of part of the operating-lever, showing one form of the swinging guide or the rod connected to said lever and to a fixed support, the latter being in section. Figs. 3, 4, 5, and 6 are similar views showing other forms in which my invention may be embodied.

I will first describe briefly such parts of the apparatus as are necessary to understand its operation.

The gate 10 is provided with a sliding latchbar 11, connected to a spring-latch 12, and is hinged at one end to a post 13 in such manner that it can swing against either of the posts 14 or 15, each of which posts is provided with a catch 16, with which the latch engages.

The operating hand-levers for the gate are indicated by 20, one being pivoted intermediate its ends to a post 21, adjacent to the post 15, and the other to a block 22, extend ing diagonally from the post 13. A tie-bar 24 is fastened to the upper ends of the posts 21, 15, and 13 and also to the upper end of the block 22 and this, together with the brace 25,insurcs a firm pivotal support for the levers 20. The opposing ends of the levers 20 are loosely connected by means of a pin 27 firmly secured to one of said levers and extending loosely between two cross-pin 28 in the other lever. By pulling on either lever at itsouter end the opposing ends, which normally sag downward, will be lifted.

To transmit movement from the lovers to the gate, I employ an arm indicated generally by Band consisting of a metal bar or rod formed with an eye I) at its upper portion and bent into the form of a crank-handle c at its lower portion. It is also provided with a lateral extension cl, and the latter is bent to form a journal 9, which lies substantially parallel to the middle portion of the arm and which has a bearingin an opening formed in the top rail of the gate and forms a'pivot about which the arm may turn. The crankhandle portion engages oppositely-extending loops or eyes 17 and 18,formed, respectively, in the latch-bar 11 and the bar immediately above it, and when the arm B turns on its pivot the loop 18 acts as a fulcrum upon which the crank rocks, and the latch-bar is thus moved longitudinally to operate the latch. A link 29 is pivotally connected at one end to the eye I) and at its other end to an eye 30, secured to one of the levers.

The construction so far described forms no part of my present invention; but I may state that the latch-bar-operating devices'when constructed as above described'depend for successful operation on preventing the lever to which the link 29 is connected from having any noteworthy lateral movement at its inner end, and the object of my present in= vent-ion is to insure against such movement,

while'at the same time ofiering no resistanceto the vertical movement of the lever. To

carry out my object, I make use of a swinging guide or tie-rod pivotally connected to the lever and to a fixed support in such manner that the lever can have practically no lateral movement, but is entirely free to move vertically within the limits necessary to operate the latch-bar and the gate. My invention may be embodied in several forms, and in the drawings I have illustrated several forms. V

In Fig. 2 the tie-rod 40 is bent at each end to form arms 41 and 42, extending in opposite directions, the former being at substantially a right angle to the rod' and the other at an obtuse angle. In applying this tie-rod an eyebolt 43 will be secured in the lever 20 to receive the arm 41, so that it will lie longitudinally parallel with the lever, and the arm 42 will fit loosely in an opening in the post13 and lie substantially parallel with the lever 20. The reason for bending the arm I l -42at an obtuseangle 1s tobrmg theconnection between the arm 41 and the lever 20 nearer the inner end of the lever, and therefore farther away from the pivot of the lever.

It is obvious, 'howeventhat both arms may be bent at a right angle; but of course tlie tie- .rod 40 would in such case be a little shorter.

It is obvious that as the lever swings vertically the arm 42 will turn in its bearing and there will be. a little sliding movement between the arm 41 and the eyebolt 43; but the lever 20.will' not and cannot have lateral movement to any appreciable extent.

Instead of bending one end of the rod 40 to form the arm 42-it may be bent into the f form of -aneye 44 to be engaged in the eye 45 pf an eyeboltsecured in the post 13, as shown in Fig. 3. Also,as shown in Fig. 4, the ends of the rod 40 may both be bentto forn eyes 46 to be engaged inthe eyes of eyebolts seand is: provided at its outer end with a 'h'orL zontally-disposed opening 48. one end of the rod 40 isbentto form a hook 49, which engages in the opening 48, while 1 its other end is bent to form an eye 51, en-

gaging in the eye of an eyebolt 52 in the lever 20. Another form is shown in Fig. 6, in which one end of the'rod is bent to form an arm 42, which is journaled loosely in the post 13-,and it-s other e'nd is bent into the form of an eye 53, engaging in the eye of an eyeb'olt 54inthe lever 20.

In eachjcaseillustrated the connection of the tie-rod te the lever is at apoint between much nearer tothe formerth an to'the latter,

an the different forms of swinging guide or tie=rod described operate in substantially ,7 the same manner, to prevent any appreciable lateral movement of thelever 20, while leav- In this case or the end ot ing it perfectly free to nlove vertically within the necessary limits. 1 i

If "preferred, similar guides or tie rods may be connected to the other lever 20' and to the post 15; but while this may be desirable for more fully-insuring the true'vertical move} ment of the levers it is not necessary, and

one guide or tie-rod will be sufficient for each gate, provided it be connected to the lever to which the link 29 is connected, and which lever is in all cases the one which transmits movement to the latch-bar.

Having described the invention, I claim- 1. In a swinging gate of the general class described, thecombination with the operating-lever pivotally supported between its ends to swing ina vertical-plane, of a swingingguide ortie-rod loosely connected at one end to the lever at a point near the pivot of thel'atter, and at the other end to a fixed support, substantially as and for the purposes set forth. e p

:2. In as winging' gate of the general class described, the combinationwit-h the operating-lever, of a swinging guide or tie-rod having one end bent to form an arm, an eye-bolt 0n the lever through the eye of which thearm passes loosely, and fixed support to which the other end of the rod is loosely connected, for the purposeset'forth. v

3. In 'a swinging gate of the general class described, the combination with the operating-lever, of a tie-rod having its'ends bent to form arms extending in opposite directions, one of said arms being at substantially a right angle to the rod and the other at an obtuse 1 angle thereto, an eyebolt ih thelever through the eye of which the right-angled arm exthe pivot andthe inner end of the lever and.

tends, and a fixed support inwhichth-eother 3 arm is journal'ed, for the purpose set forth. and the vertical swing of the tie-rod is much j 1 sstha'n'the similar movement the lever.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of twosubscribing witnesses A; W ILLIAM RICHARD WHITE. Witnesses? e BESSIE L. WHITE, Mrs. R. M'. HALL. 

